Coyle hotel evaluation shop dress attire?

It's going to be 90 degrees where I'm going and I'm evaluating a 5 star hotel for Coyle... what's appropriate dress attire for a male and does it matter what I wear if i get the evaluation done correctly?

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Short sleeved dress shirt or clean polo and khakis.

could I get away with polo shirt and khaki shorts (business casual looking shorts, NOT cargo shorts)?

It depends on where the shop is located. Some areas are formal, others not so much. I was once chewed out by a client for showing up in a suit for a dinner at a nice restaurant.

My philosophy is to dress according the local customs.

Shop is located in top 5 largest U.S. cities.

Is it a resort?

Unless the guidelines specify how you should dress, which I'm pretty sure they don't, I don't think the fanciness of the hotel should dictate how you dress. You obviously want to be well groomed and have a nice, neat appearance. Business casual ( a polo shirt and khakis) should be fine. Khaki shorts would be okay too (wear them with a nice casual pair of loafers to complete the look). If you want to go nicer, have at it. Most people dress comfortably when traveling, so you should not stand out as a shopper if you do as well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2017 03:10AM by MSF.

I recently saw a photo of Bill Gates at a 5 star resort wearing a white Tee, cargo shorts, and sandals.

I do not think they refused him service.

LOL!!!

(Of course, the Tee could have been a $900 silk tee.)

I live about 10 miles from Bill Gates.... We tend to be fairly casual in the Seattle area.... I've worn jeans an a polo to a high end restaurant - and felt overdressed.....

@ceasesmith wrote:

I recently saw a photo of Bill Gates at a 5 star resort wearing a white Tee, cargo shorts, and sandals.

I do not think they refused him service.

LOL!!!

(Of course, the Tee could have been a $900 silk tee.)

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Did you get approval to work in the USA with your student Visa?
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

To answer the question, you should be wearing what everyone else is wearing at the property.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Did you get approval to work in the USA with your student Visa?
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

To answer the question, you should be wearing what everyone else is wearing at the property.

Well given that I now proudly hold a 9 digit SSN with DHS work authorization , I think that speaks for itself.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2017 11:15AM by anng123.

@Professional Guest wrote:

Is it a resort?

Not a resort, just a fancy hotel in a metropolis.

Any other advice?

It's hard to help you with the vague details you have provided. SCM had the best advice - dress like everyone else. How you dress at a five star resort in Miami is totally different then a five star hotel in DC.

@anng123 wrote:

Any other advice?

Same advice as for the person hesitant to press ACL's "Request Different Date Option" button: Just Do It!

I've mystery shopped some of the nicest hotel brands in the country: The Waldorf, the St. Regis, the Ritz. In each of those hotels I've arrived in jeans and a t-shirt, and sometimes a leather jacket. At the very least you can say you were traveling and wanted to dress comfortably for your check-in, and then go to your room to put on something a little more formal. Even then, however, I usually just wear jeans and an untucked, collared shirt and I've had no trouble.

EDIT: I also do a lot of work for Coyle hotels and I've never had an issue with the abovementioned "uniform" either.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2017 04:55AM by Misanthrope.

@dakotagypsy wrote:

It depends on where the shop is located. Some areas are formal, others not so much. I was once chewed out by a client for showing up in a suit for a dinner at a nice restaurant.

My philosophy is to dress according the local customs.

That's ridiculous. I've been to an uncountable number of casual ($100/2 people) restaurants on mystery shop and seen tons of people wearing suits (and even more wearing t-shirts).

@Misanthrope wrote:

I've mystery shopped some of the nicest hotel brands in the country: The Waldorf, the St. Regis, the Ritz. In each of those hotels I've arrived in jeans and a t-shirt, and sometimes a leather jacket. At the very least you can say you were traveling and wanted to dress comfortably for your check-in, and then go to your room to put on something a little more formal. Even then, however, I usually just wear jeans and an untucked, collared shirt and I've had no trouble.

EDIT: I also do a lot of work for Coyle hotels and I've never had an issue with the abovementioned "uniform" either.

What he said. I just checked into/out of the Ritz.

Spring/Fall: jeans, plain white t-shirt, light merino wool sweater, nice leather slip-ons.
Winter: add a wool sport coat, or overcoat.
Summer: khakis - pants or shorts, or go crazy and break out the seersucker, plain white t-shirt, linen long sleeve dress shirt (roll up the sleeves), nice leather slip-ons/boat shoes.

***Edited to correct punctuation.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2017 02:19AM by Professional Guest.

Agreed with the 'look like the other guests' concept.

I've arrived at plenty of 5-star resorts in cargo shorts but would never do that in NYC. Most major cities have a "look" that people adhere to and you stand out if you don't fit within that. That said, if you are purporting to be from out of town, you can adapt the look from that city, I guess.

Being from LA, I can arrive in nice jeans, a black shirt & sunglasses to most urban locations and fit in. The hotel I'm at right now books for $1,600/night and people dress casual here....

Depending on the weather is how you should dress...resort living equals casual, nice clean pressed shorts and a polo works. City hotels are dressier, good clothes like jeans, (well fitting) or slacks and a long sleeve shirt for evenings. L.A. is casual, Chicago or New York dressier, with slacks preferred. Tourists are everywhere, so, you can get away with a lot, but for me, Iike to look well dressed and "play the part", or me labels work. Woman, Kohl's has Vera Wang designs, fit well plus very well priced.
Dressing for the location is a good way to do it and nice shoes and bag always a good look.I see men getting manicures these days and caring about their appearance. las Vegas has an array of different fashion, most not what I'd wear, but no one kicks them out. We are representing a company, so, think of that.

Live consciously....

Washington, DC (high end hotels, and 99% of the city), is much more casual than you might think. The 1 percent is probably the restaurants where the lobbyists spend their expense account funds or politicians who are actually on duty that day may be found in suits. I have checked into places in DC and in Manhattan, where serious military brass (ours and other nations) checked in wearing full regalia and then want to the bar and dinner in jeans and nice shirts. Since I am usually on the hotel floor where high rewards status guests are assigned, I see far more casual attire than suits. Very nice casual, but not all designer, by any means.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2017 07:59PM by walesmaven.

If it a big city, something trendy yet casual. You are representing someone on vacation (or a visit). My husband and I regularly stay at 5-star hotels such as Ritz Carltons, Four Seasons and St. Regis as paying guest. Sadly, we typically do not don traditional resort wear. My husband is a geek so he wears t-shirts, cargo shorts, and sandals during the day. In the evening, he adds a button-down short sleeve. LOL! But he never cares what people think.

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**Throw me to the wolves and I'll come back leading the pack!**

I think what trips people up more than anything isn't the way they dress, but the attitude they project. I took a valet with me on a job (unrelated to where they worked,) and the guy commented I had a demeanor that said, "I belong here," which he felt made me hard to spot... as it turned out, through further conversation, I had given his station bad marks before we met (though not him personally, I remembered him.)

I'm pretty sure that as long as you don't do anything to give yourself away and you dress at least semi-appropriately, the staff fills in the blanks as far as assuming how your lifestyle fits your clothing. Hotel staff have to deal with all kinds of loons, especially at nice hotels. Somebody will park their Ferrari in the valet zone and take the keys because they had an arrangement with a previous manager, or some 40-year-old regular will ask the staff to film him doing parkour.

That's it. I'm pretty sure it's 75% "I belong here." Your clothing can go up or down a few notches, though personally I usually go for something upscale but casual, something that doesn't really make an impression.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

Being from LA, I can arrive in nice jeans, a black shirt & sunglasses to most urban locations and fit in...

That's the SteveSoCal uniform pretty much 24/7 I think

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